Many keyboarding students are appalled at the very concept of composing at the computer, and KEYS Academy students are no exception. They lament, "This is not English class! Why should we have to develop a composition in computer class?" The irony of the situation is that the essence of  learning to keyboard is to improve one's communication ability. Composition, therefore, should not be restricted to the English class.

Fortunately, keyboarding authorities are becoming increasingly cognizant of the important of teaching students to compose at the computer.  At KEYS Academy, special emphasis is given to this skill for two major reasons:
   
    (a) Composition at the computer helps students learn to key at the word level, since they are not thinking of strokes, but of    
         words, and

    (b) Many students take keyboarding for personal use and will probably do much of their composing at the computer. It
          should not be necessary for them to first write everything in longhand.

To this end, keyboarding students at KEYS Academy are taught composition at the computer using a procedure to alleviate their fears and frustrations of composing at the computer. Composition skills are taught throughout the term, after the students have comfortably mastered the keyboard.

Five basic steps for the effective teaching of composition, referred to as the Composition Ladder, take KEYS students step by step from a simple one-word rejoinder to an elaborate report.  The five steps are:

    (1) word reponse
    (2) phrase response (several weeks)
    (3) sentence response
    (4) paragraph response (students are asked questions or given topics)
    (5) integrated composition (end result).

This five-step enterprise is outlined in the following paragraphs:

    (1) Word Response. Composition is introduced after students have comfortably mastered the keyboard and have reached a preferred speed of 30 to 35 words a minute. Orientation begins with the development of one-word responses to teacher-dictated questions. For example, the teachers asks, "Who is your favorite movie star?" or "What is the color of your hair?"  After a series of such questions, students are given the opportunity to read aloud their responses. Students are not pressured into reading responses; however, every student is asked to type a response. Another suggested technique is to dictate a word and have the students respond with an antonym for the word. A variety of such procedures is used so students learn to respond quickly and adeptly.

`    (2) Phrases. After the class has comfortably mastered the word-response level, they are moved to the phrase response. Drills galore exist to assist students in this area. Students are simply asked to keyboard a response to teacher-dictated phrases such as: "My computer . . . . ,"  "Last Christmas I . . . . ," or "I like KEYS Academy because . . . ."  A quick review of the simple phrase is advantageous before initiating this level.

    (3) Sentence Response. The third step is to ask students to respond in complete sentences. Some students have a distorted view of what a complete sentence is, so a quick review of sentence structure is helpful at this juncture. Related learnings are successfully combined with composition. For example, the I dictate questions such as "How many spaces after a period at the end of a line?" or "How many spaces after the last sentence of the last paragraph in a letter and the complimentary closing?"  The students then respond using complete sentences. At a higher composition level, I hold various objects in front of the class and ask the students to describe the object, using complete sentences.

    (4) Paragraph Response.  The next step is to have students key short paragraphs. A myriad of option are at my disposal. For example, I may ask the students to compose a paragraph describing a frightening experience. Another effective procedure is to ask the students to key letters to "Dear Abby"--serious or humorous. These letters are then exchanged with another student for keyed responses from "Abby."

I collect these papers at the end of the class period to determine the progress of individual students. No actual grading of the content or mechanics takes place initially. The essence at this level is to get students to the point where a free flow of thought exists. Initial grading would destroy this objective. Later on, grading and comments  begin. It is important to remember that composition should be an enjoyable skill to learn.

    (5) Integrated Composition. At this point, students are given the opportunity to practice their knowledge of composition. After a discussion of the basic elements essential for a complete composition, I write several topics on the board or project them with the overhead projector and ask students to develop one into a well-defined paper. Another one of my favorite methods is to have the students key a letter as it is dictated to them, striving for a perfect copy. then I ask them to key a response. At this point, evaluation is stepped up and predominant errors are discussed continuously in class so students can see and understand their mistakes.

This progressive composition ladder is effective in teaching composition to KEYS students because it alleviates the most formidable obstacle facing the student--fear of failure. Once this stumbling block is removed, the end product is a keyboarding student who has learned an essential skill that will serve him or her well in later education and daily living.